50 Girl Names That Start With a Vowel
Vowel names have a head start in life: they open with a song instead of a consonant, and they dominate the top of the charts for a reason. This list gathers 50 of our favorites — As, Es, Is, Os, and Us — each with the meaning or story behind it.
Work through the vowels, and save the sounds that stick.
A Names
The most popular vowel of all — and the deepest bench.
- Aria — Italian, “air”; in opera, the song everyone remembers
- Amelia — German, “industrious”; an adventurer’s name, Earhart-style
- Aurora — Latin, “dawn”; the Roman goddess of sunrise
- Ava — a three-letter classic, as effortless as it gets
- Audrey — Old English, “noble strength”; Hepburn elegance
- Adele — German, “noble”; one voice made it soar again
- Alma — Latin and Spanish, “nourishing” and “soul”
- Anaïs — a French form of Anne with artistic flair (pronounced ah-na-EES)
- Alba — Latin, “white” and “dawn”; Alba means Scotland in Gaelic, too
- Antonia — a stately Latin classic, the feminine of Antonius
- Athena — the Greek goddess of wisdom and strategy
- Amara — a name that means grace or eternity in several tongues
- Anouk — a chic French-Dutch pet form of Anne
E Names
Soft openings, strong finishes — the E section never misses.
- Elodie — a breezy French favorite, pronounced EL-oh-dee
- Estelle — French, “star”; old-Hollywood glamour
- Emilia — a romantic Latin classic with Shakespearean roots
- Eva — Hebrew, “life”; radiant in almost any language
- Eden — Hebrew, “delight”; the garden of paradise
- Esme — French, “esteemed” and “loved”; pronounced EZ-may
- Eloise — the storybook heroine of the Plaza Hotel
- Eliana — Hebrew, often read as “God has answered”
- Ember — the glowing heart of the fire; warm and a little wild
- Etta — a jazzy vintage nickname-name, all soul
- Elena — the Spanish and Italian Helen, “bright, shining one”
- Evelyn — a vintage charmer that came roaring back
- Elowen — Cornish, “elm tree”; storybook-pretty
I Names
The smallest section with some of the prettiest sounds in the alphabet.
- Isla — a Scottish island name, all sea breeze
- Ivy — the faithful climbing plant, crisp and classic
- Iris — Greek, “rainbow”; also the flower
- Ines — the chic European form of Agnes, “pure”
- Imogen — Shakespeare’s heroine in Cymbeline; literary gold
- Ione — Greek, “violet flower”; pronounced eye-OH-nee
- Ilaria — the Italian form of Hilary, “cheerful”
- India — a place name with boho-romantic sweep
- Isolde — the Irish princess of Tristan and Isolde
- Ida — a vintage Scandinavian-German gem, back in style
- Ingrid — Scandinavian poise, Bergman-style
- Ianthe — Greek, “violet flower”; a poet’s favorite
O & U Names
The rare vowels — distinctive, round, and quietly unforgettable.
- Olive — the olive branch of peace, softer than Olivia
- Opal — the fire-filled October birthstone
- Olympia — from Mount Olympus, home of the gods
- Uma — a Sanskrit name, bold in two syllables
- Una — Irish and Latin, “one”; simple and luminous
- Ursa — Latin, “bear”; written in the constellations
- Ophelia — Greek, “help”; Shakespeare’s most lyrical heroine
- Ottilie — a German vintage treasure, pronounced OTT-ill-ee
- Odessa — the storied Black Sea port; dramatic and melodic
- Ondine — a water sprite from European folklore
- Orla — Irish, “golden princess”
- Octavia — Latin, “eighth”; imperial and elegant
How to Choose the One
- Count the vowels in the full name. Aria Marino sings; Aria Aurora may swirl. A consonant-led surname often balances a vowel-led first name best.
- Mind the monogram. Vowel initials make bold monograms — just check that A.S.S.-style accidents aren’t hiding in the combo.
- Test the ending, not just the start. Names ending in -a (Ava, Isla, Amara) are the current sound of the charts; -o and -ie endings (Ione, Ottilie) feel rarer and fresher.
- Say it at roll call speed. Vowel names can blur into the name before them. “Eva and…” tests will tell you how cleanly hers lands.
Quick Questions
Why are vowel names so popular right now?
They’re soft, international, and nickname-rich — Amelia, Olivia, Ava, and Isla have all topped charts in recent years. The sound of the moment simply starts with a vowel.
Which starting vowel is the most popular?
A, by a wide margin: Aria, Amelia, Aurora, and Ava all rank high. O and U names are the shortcut to the same fashionable sound with far less company.
Do vowel names work with vowel surnames?
They can, as long as the syllable counts differ — Opal Andersen flows, while Ana Ana-style echoes trip the tongue. Read the pairing aloud a few times and trust your ear.
Want to drill into the biggest vowel of all? Our list of girl names that start with E gives that letter the full treatment, and the cute baby girl names list covers every letter in the alphabet.
Still deciding? Try our free Baby Name Generator — tap to shuffle fresh names with their meanings and build your shortlist.
